The 10,000 Hour Rule

Have you heard of the 10,000 hour rule?  Stephen read this book and then I picked it up and read it because of his comments.

It was really interesting.  The author discusses how when psychologists look at the careers of the gifted, the smaller the role "innate talent” seems to play and the bigger the role “preparation” seems to play.  The 10,000-Hour Rule, claims that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours.

He shares stories of famous athletes, musicians, lawyers, computer programmers…  They each had put in their practice time and success followed.  Even the gifted had to have the practice time.

He also discusses how various sports and their cut off dates affect where players are placed.  Kids that just barely make the cut off are usually NOT found on the rosters, BUT the kids that are practically a year older because of their birthday, make up the majority of the rosters.  These older kids have had more time to practice and they are physically bigger because they are older.

I think about my family and the time that each member puts into their talents and hobbies.  Jacob draws ALL of the time.  Nathan has that soccer ball at his feet every step he takes anywhere.  I constantly have my camera out or am reading about photography.  The time put into practicing, increases skill level.

We see these computer geniuses or gifted athletes, and fail to remember how much TIME they have put into practicing their skill.  Practice doesn’t always make perfect, but it sure gets you closer to perfection.

Anyway, you can check the book out here - Outliers: The Story of Success